Espinoza: Fury’s Jump To ESPN Was Strange

One of the main people confused by Tyson Fury’s pivot to ESPN and Top Rank last week is Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza.

Espinoza, who helped negotiate the 2018 showdown between Fury and WBC world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, told Boxing Scene that the whole thing was strange.

“It’s certainly makes it more difficult,” Espinoza said of Fury jumping to ESPN last week. “It’s another strange series of events. At a certain point, it’s incumbent on prompters as well as fighters to not do things that create obstacles for the fight. So if you’re on the one yard line with a rematch deal, that probably not the best time to veer in a different direction.”

“If you don’t really want the fight, that’s a good reason to not make the fight, you have something to point to outside of you don’t want the fight,” explained Espinoza of Team Fury’s potential reasoning.

“I’m not saying that’s the case. I believe Fury wants a Wilder rematch and I feel Joshua wants a Wilder fight. But there are business people around them and it’s incumbent on fighter to say that I’m not going to allow my business people to put in obstacles to a fight that’s important to my legacy and my career.”